The Yard Theatre has opened the doors of its rehearsal room on Lear, sharing Marc Brenner's photographs of Ian McKellen, Taylor Russell and the company days before the new play begins performances in Hackney Wick.
The pictures arrive six days ahead of the first performance on 17 November 2026, and they are the first public look at the production. Lear launches the opening season in the Yard's new purpose-built home, and plays until 2 January 2027, with press night on Tuesday 1 December.
Brenner's set catches McKellen in a dressing gown cradling Russell, the actor at the table with director Jay Miller, and Miller in conversation with his co-writer Simon Stephens. Russell, whose casting as Cordelia we reported in October, appears in several frames opposite him.
The production is not a straight revival of King Lear. Stephens and Miller, the Yard's founder and artistic director, have assembled a new play from two sources: Shakespeare's text, and the conversations they recorded with McKellen while making it. Miller also directs. The theatre's own line for the piece sums up its premise: "Ian McKellen has performed in King Lear 708 times. Never like this."
An extract released with the images sets the two voices side by side:
McKellen: I’ve organised my life, for good or bad, so that acting is the main thing I do.
Lear: My wits begin to turn—
McKellen: So if I’m not acting, what's the point?
Lear's knights are an ensemble of dancers and movement artists, with choreography by Malik Nashad Sharpe. They are Bobi Coates, a Bird College graduate making a professional debut; Kanako Nakano, whose stage work includes Miss Saigon in the West End and My Neighbour Totoro for the RSC at the Barbican; Camille Ifé Pettiford, a contemporary dancer from Charlotte, North Carolina, trained at London Contemporary Dance School; and Leo Udvarlaky, whose credits include The Diana Mixtape and Come Dine With Me: The Musical.
The design team is led by Stewart Laing on set and costumes, with lighting by Zerlina Hughes, sound by Josh Anio Grigg and video by Sarah Readman. Sophia Golan is assistant director and Heather Basten CDG casting director.
Lear runs for 1 hour 10 minutes with no interval at the Yard Theatre, Queen's Yard, Hackney Wick, London E9 5EN. Under-27s can buy £5 tickets on the door through the theatre's No Empty Seats scheme, concessions are available, and other seats start at £10.
Lear in the rehearsal room
For more information, visit the official website.
